Crown Princess Masako

The wife of the heir to the Japanese throne marks her 48th birthday today. Crown Princess Masako has been seen little over the years due to a stress induced mental illness. Click here to see photos of Masako and family But this year, she often accompanied husband Crown Prince Naruhito to the areas hit hard by the March earthquake-tsunami and also meet with evacuees. Many wondered if this was the rebirth of Masako. Yes, says the medical team helping her with her recovery, but not so much...Read Full Story

Princess Aiko, only child of Japan’s Crown Princely couple is celebrating her 10th birthday Thursday. View gallery of Princess Aiko here The Princess is a fourth grader at the exclusive Gakushuin school in Tokyo, and joined its orchestra club this past June as a cellist. She also had her own ceramics exhibited at the school and is started to recite “Hyakunin Isshu” (One-hundred waka poems) by memory. In addition, the Princess is taking care of a cat and its kittens since this summer...Read Full Story

This past week and a half was kind of a slow week in terms of interesting fashion choices by various royal women.  Any way, here is a short list of the hits and misses in royal fashion. HITS: HM Queen Rania of Jordan.  Seriously, could this woman be anymore fierce?  Her regal blue gown is to die for.  Love it! Crown Princess Masako of Japan.  Aw, I have a soft spot for the poor Crown Princess.  She is rarely seen in public and this recent photo of her (during the balcony event to mark the...Read Full Story

Crown Princess Masako of Japan was born 9 December 1963, the eldest child of of Hisashi Owada, a senior diplomat, and former President of the International Court of Justice. She has two younger sisters, twins named Setsuko and Reiko. When she was just two years old, she moved to Moscow, Russia, where she completed her early education. Upon the family's return to Japan, she was enrolled in a private girls' school in Tokyo, Denenchofu Futaba, which she attended until her second year of high...Read Full Story

On Friday, the Japanese Imperial Household held a press conference about the state of Crown Princess Masako’s mental health. She has been suffering from a stress induced illness since late 2003, and her doctors say while she is still recovering, the Princess is still prone to slipping back to her problems. Kiyoshi Ota/Getty Images According to Grand Master Issei Nomura of the Imperial Household Agency, the doctors say “more time is required before she can further expand the range of her...Read Full Story